Wood heel turning machine



Feb. 23, H v H w R S I I WOOD HEEL TURNIfiG MACHINE Filed Jan. "7, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.1.

I Feb. 23, 1937. H, U 2,071,433

WOOD HEEL TURNING MACHINE Filed. Jar 1. 7, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 Feb. 23, 1931. H; w. RUSS V 2,071,433

WOOD HEEL TURNING MACHINE Filed Jan. 7, 19.35 '3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Feb. 23, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WOOD HEEL TURNING MACHINE Application January 7, 1935, Serial No. 585

9 Claims.

This invention relates to heel turning machines and in particular to wood heel turning machines. The illustrated embodiment is a wood heel turning machine generally of the type shown in United States Letters Patent No. 1,488,534, granted April 1, 1924, upon the application of Folsom, Vinton and Whitney.

Machines of this type are twin machines, that is, they have two cutters on vertical shafts each of which trims one side of the heel blank around to the center of the back. The jack is hung on a swinging gate member to enable it to cooperate with either cutter. As the jack turns in the end of this gate member to move the heel blank, from the breast to the back, past a cutter it is given a vertical movement parallel to the cutter axis, and generally also a tilting movement having an increasing component of tilt directly toward the cutter, these movements being imparted by two cam tracks. The depth of cut is controlled by a form on the jack and a cooperating rub collar near the cutter. The cam tracks are adjustable in a direction parallel to the cutter axis, and that cam track which has to do with the tilting of the upper track is also vertically angularly adjustable on its carrying bracket.

An important feature of the invention relates to structure facilitating the setting of the machine to cut different styles of heels. It will be seen from a study of the annexed specification and of the patent referred to that the smallest part of a heel lies between the top-lift and attaching faces, and that it is cut by the largest part of the rotating cutter; therefore raising the lower track, which causes the heel profile to be taken from a locality generally higher up on the cutter, will increase the width of the top-lift end and diminish that of the attaching face. It will be seen also that this adjustment alone will also increase the length of the top-lift end and decrease that of the attaching face, since it also varies the tilt of the heel blank toward the cutter. In the past much time has been spent in adjusting these cam tracks by empirical methods in order to attain the required dimensions of a heel. I have found that the difference in width between the top-lift end and the attaching face can be readily reached by simultaneous vertical adjustment of both cam tracks without substantially affecting other characteristics of the heel. It is, however, diiiicult to do this on machines heretofore available, because the vertical track adjustments were independent and much care had to be taken to move the two sets of adjusting screws exactly the same amounts. In accordance with the present invention provision is made for simultaneous vertical adjustment of both tracks; preferably by supporting the upper on the lower, so that the adjustment of the latter adjusts both. The support of the upper track on the lower 5 track bracket is such that the upper track is also independently vertically adjustable, to attain the proper difference in length of the toplift end and of the attaching face by virtue of the tipping effect this adjustment has on the jack. When the proper difference in dimensions has been attained, in the two cases discussed, the absolute dimensions are got by adjusting the rub collar in the case of the widths, and by adjusting I the breast gage, in the case of the lengths. The time consumed in resetting a machine is materially reduced by the structure described.

Another feature of the invention resides in the form. Heretofore this has been a piece of Wood with a hole in it, through which the jack shaft projected, and a change of the form necessitated taking the jack apart to slip the old and new forms off and on endwise of the shaft. In accordance with the present invention, the form is made of open U-shape so that it can be slipped on sidewise of the jack shaft, and is clamped to the jack shaft preferably by a clamp block. This improvement saves much time in resetting a machine, since each style heel has a form of its own, and much changing of forms is necessary in the regular work of a heel factory.

The invention also includes an ejecting member operating in conjunction with a movable side gage to eject a turned heel as the side gage moves into position to gage the next heel, and an improved jack jaw which grips and locates the heel blank positively by means of flat surfaces, the teeth with which such jaws are provided being thus enabled to bite only to a predetermined depth in the Wood heel blank, irrespective of its hardness, or the uniformity of its hardness.

These and other features of the invention comprising. certain combinations and arrangements of parts will be apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a front view of a wood heel turning machine embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a right side View;

Fig. 3 is a detail of the jack;

Fig. 4 is a detail showing another form of breast gage adapted for Cuban heels;

Fig. 5 is a detail showing a plan of the breast gage of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the lower jack jaw and the breast gage showing 2. Louis heel in the jack;

Fig. '7 is a detail of the form;

Fig. 8 is a detail showing the jack jaws and the ejecting member; and

Fig. 9 is a detail showing the jack positioned at the end of the cut.

The machine, which is generally similar to that shown in the above-mentioned Letters Patent, has a main frame ID in the front of which are mounted two cutter shafts i2, 14 with cutter heads [6 at their upper ends. The surface of revolution generated by the cutter blades is somewhat pineapple-shaped and is larger at the top than at the bottom. Between the cutter shafts a pair of bearings i8 carry a vertical shaft 20 having a gate extension 22 in the outer end of which the jack shaft 24 is rotatably and longitudinally movable. The jack shaft is provided with a laterally extending head 26 at its top on which is pivotally mounted at 28 the jack 29 itself. The pivotal axis 28 extends at right angles to the length of the head 26.

The jack frame comprises a lower fixed jaw 30 and an upper movable jaw 32 which is operated by the jack handle 34 to grip a heel blank 35. The construction is substantially like that shown in United States Letters Patent No. 1,707,985, granted April 9, 1929, upon application of Norton W. Kinney. The lower end of the jack shaft has a lateral extension 35 parallel to the length of the head 26 which rides on a cam or lower track 38. This track is higher in the middle than at the ends and as the jack is swung toward the center of the machine it is caused to rise by the lower track. The end 39 of the jack from which the handle projects rides on a cam or upper track 40 which is pivotally adjustably mounted at 42 on a bracket 44 mounted on the frame of the machine. In making most heels the upper track is adjusted so that its center is higher than its ends, so that the swing of the jack toward the center of the machine progressively tilts the jack around the moving pivotal axis 28. In the early part of such a swinging movement of the jack the tilting move ment is mainly across the cutter from side to side, but there is a component of tilting move ment toward the cutter which increases as the jack turns into a position in which its vertical central plane passes approximately through the cutter axis, in which position the tilt is directly toward the cutter. Thus, an increased inclination of the upper track about its pivot 42 will shorten the top-lift end of the heel being cut as compared with its width. This pivotal adjustment of the upper track is used to get the desired top-lift end shape.

The lifting of the jack as the heel is turned causes the side surface of the heel to fit on the effective profile of the cutter at a locality lower down on the cutter profile than does the center of the back, where the cut is finished. Generally speaking, the smallest part of a heel lies between the top-lift end and the attaching face, and this part of the heel is cut by that part of the cutter head which has the maximum diameter. The depth of cut is determined by a form 45 mounted on the jack shaft under the heel blank and an adjustable rub collar 48 in front of the cutter shaft which contacts with the form 46 and determines the position of the gate 22.

In setting up the machine to cut a new heel,

or to grade a run of sizes on a heel already cut, one of the important considerations is to bring the top-lift end and the attaching face to the proper widths and lengths. The machine is not pantographic and such grading adjustments have to be reached by trial. In order to preserve a shapely appearance, the width of the top-lift end increases more slowly than that of the attaching face in running from a small to a large size. Obviously, the attaching face can be made wider and the top-lift end narrower by carrying the heel across the cutter in a lower position, since then the attaching face is cut on a part of the cutter having a smaller diameter and the top-lift end on a part having a greater diameter, and this is accomplished by dropping the lower track. This change alone, however, will affect the tilting movement of the jack, causing it to tilt more deeply into the cutter at the end of the cut and making the top-lift end of the heel shorter. Prior to the present invention this has had to be corrected by dropping the upper track vertically, by the same amount as the lower track, keeping it at the same inclination. As the machine was constructed prior to the present invention, these two vertical adjustments of the tracks were entirely independent and thus caused the waste of much time. In accordance with the present invention, these tracks are adjustable simultaneously, and the mechanism for effecting this is as follows.

The brackets 50 which carry the lower track 38 are vertically adjustable on the front of the frame 16 by the slot-and-bolt arrangement shown at 52. Each bracket carries an ear 54 in which is threaded a screw 56. The brackets 44 which carry the upper track are likewise adjustable by slots and bolts at 60 up and down the front of the frame [0 and when their screws 60 are loosened they rest on the ends of the screws 56 in the same way as the brackets 50 rest on their adjusting screws 52, which are threaded into blocks 64 on the frame ill. It is thus clear that if the screws 52 and 60 are loosened the screws 62, if turned, will raise or lower both tracks simultaneously by the same amount. Thus the lateral dimensions of the attaching face and top-lift end can be relatively varied since they are generally changed in opposite directions by a vertical movement of the heel over the cutter, and when their proper difference in width has been obtained their desired absolute widths are reached by adjusting the rub collar 48 which cooperates with the form 46 to control the distance that the gate and jack fall into the cutter. the results desired can be directly approximated with small expenditure of time.

The spread, or vertical distance apart, of the tracks, which controls the length of the toplift relatively to the length of the attaching face, can be adjusted by the screws 56 by loosening the screws 60 and leaving the screws 52 tight, thus raising or lowering the upper track relative ly to the lower track.

Obviously, the tilting of the heel farther toward the cutter as the center of the back is being cut will shorten the fore-and-aft dimension of the top-lift end and, owing to the position of the pivot 28 and the rear end of the attaching face, such tilting will lengthen the attaching face, though to a smaller degree. Thus the vertical adjustment of the upper track causes these two dimensions of the heel to vary toward or from each other simultaneously. When the proper difference between them is reached their desired absolute values may be reached by adjusting the breast gage I6 toward or from the axis of the jack shaft 24, which will alter both these dimensions by substantially the same amount.

The extent of the vertical adjustments of the tracks is controlled by scales 66, 68 mounted on each of plates I which are screwed to the brackets 44. The upper scales 66 are read by pointers I2 mounted on the machine frame I0, and the lower scales 68 cooperate with pointers I4 mounted on the lower brackets 50. The upper scale shows the vertical movement of the lower track and the simultaneous movements of both tracks. The lower scale shows the movement of the upper track relatively to the lower track.

Thus the mechanism described insures reaching the desired lengths and widths of the toplift end and the attaching face in a minimum of time. Heretofore, with these track adjustments independent, a change in the position of one track in order to correct one dimension would vitiate the results already obtained on another dimension, and much time was lost in see-sawing. The invention thus also provides a systematic way of going directly to the results desired, and one dimension, length or width, can be dealt with independently of the other.

The present invention also provides a novel breast gage. As illustrated, the gage comprises a slotted, channeled member I8 riding on a rib 80 which is an integral part of the jack frame, and adjustable by a screw 82 passing through the slot into the rib. A' gage 84 arranged to contact with the front end of the attaching face of the heel blank rests on top of the member I8, and a second gage carrier 86, carrying a gage screw 88 arranged to contact with the breast of the heel blank, whether of the Louis or Cuban type, near its top-lift end, is mounted on the gage 84, The members 84 and 86 are also slotted for the screw 82, and the upper member 86 carries a couple of dowel pins 81 which extend down through holes in the gage 84 and member I8 to force these three parts to move in unison along the rib 80 when the gage is adjusted by the screw 82. The gage screw 88 is threaded into the member 86 and also through a plate 90 (Fig. 3) which is fastened to the member 86 by a screw 92 and prevents accidental rotation of the screw 88, acting much as a jam nut. When the heel blank is so low in height that its toplift end lies below the screw 88, a low, flat, blank member 86 is used instead of the member 86, a top-lift end gage being unnecessary with such heels. (See Figs. 4 and 5.) The gage 84 for the end of the attaching face is provided in two forms, one for Louis heels and one for Cuban heels. The former is shown in Fig. 6 and the latter in Fig. 5. The former, marked 84a in Fig. 6, has two prongs at its gaging end arranged to contact with the substantially straight end of the breast lip of the Louis heel. The latter, marked 84b in Fig. 5, where it is shown with the member 86', is generally convex in out-v line, having a flat center 84 and two retreating lateral gaging surfaces 96 which contact with the sides of the curved breast surface of the Cuban heel. This breast surface is circular in horizontal section, on a radius of about 1%". The member 8417 is considerably longer than the member 84a, since the attaching face of the Louis heel is longer than that of the Cuban.

There is thus provided a set of interchangeable breast gaging parts adapted to contact with the 1 (Fig. 8).

end of the attaching face and with the breast surface near the top-lift end of both Cuban and Louis heels, and the two gaging members are so arranged that they must move together in adjustment, When both are in use they are relatively adjustable by means of the screw 88 and this relative adjustment is preserved when adjusting the gaging device as a whole.

Another feature of the invention is embodied in the illustrated jack jaws 30 and 32. Heretofore such jaws have presented completely toothed heel-engaging surfaces, the teeth of which sink to uneven distances into different portions of a heel blank that varies in hardness, which may result in impositive and non-uniform location of blanks in the jack. The illustrated jaws (Fig. 8) have fiat lands 98 beyond the teeth I00. When the jack is closed the teeth sink into the wood blank only far enough to permit the lands 98 to bear on the blank which is thus definitely located.

The invention also provides an ejecting memher to dislodge the heel blanks when the jack I is opened. This is preferably provided in connection with a movable side gage I02 mounted on a swinging arm I04 and operated by the jack handle 34. The construction and operation of the gage is like that shown in United States Letters Patent No. 1,715,660, granted June 4, 1929, upon .application of Ralph F. Knight. When the jack handle is up, opening the jack, the arm I04 is swung up beside the lower jack jaw 30, holding the gage I02 in position to gage the edge of the attaching face of the blank 35 The ejecting member is a projection I06 on the gage I02 that rests under the attaching face of the heel blank. When the handle 34 is lowered to operate the upper jaw 32, the arm I04 drops away from beside the jaw 30, as shown in Fig. 2 and. as explained in the Knight patent referred to. When the jack is opened, after cutting a heel blank, the gage overthrows a little beyond the position shown in Fig. 8 and the member I06 knocks the blank free from the toothed jaw 30.

Another feature of the invention resides in the form 46 (Fig. '7) and its fastening means. This member is made of maple wood and is of open U-shape with its arms spaced suiiiciently to slide into position on the shaft 24. A plate I08, with an integral block I I0 fitting between the arms of the U and having a semi-circular front edge II2 cooperating with the bight of the U in fitting around the shaft 24, clamps the form firmly to the head 26 by means of a screw H4 in a hole II5. Formerly the form 46 was made with a hole to fit the shaft 24 which required the disassembly of the jack in order to change the form. This wore the set screw spots and the members 26 and 36 lost their parallelism, thus causing inaccuracy.

The construction described above provides a readily removable form with a separate, detachable clamping block to fasten it firmly and accurately to the jack head. By this means a form can be removed and replaced in a short time, with a minimum of trouble.

I have also provided a lug II6 on the center front surface of the upper track 40 in position to be struck by a lug H8 at the end of the jack member 39 to stop the turning of the jack when the center of the back of the heel blank has been finished by either cutter, thus preventing overthrowing the jack and damage to that side of the heel blank which is not treated by the cutter then in operation.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a heel turning machine having, in combination, a rotary cutter, a jack arranged to grip a heel blank and to turn its side and rear surface past the cutter, a rotatable shaft on which the jack is mounted to turn about the axis of the shaft, and a pivotal mounting connecting the jack and the shaft, with its axis at right angles to the axis of the shaft; a cam track cooperating with the jack to tilt it around the axis of the pivotal mounting as the jack turns the heel blank past the cutter, a second cam cooperating with the jack shaft to move it longitudinally as the jack turns, and means for simultaneously adjusting both cams in a direction parallel to the axis of the jack shaft.

2. In a heel turning machine having, in combination, a rotary cutter, a jack shaft parallel to the cutter axis, a jack pivoted on the shaft on an axis perpendicular to the axis of the shaft and arranged to clamp a heel blank and to move its side and rear surfaces over the cutter when the jack shaft is turned, a cam track supporting the free end of the jack shaft and operating to move the jack shaft longitudinally as the shaft turns, and a second cam track supporting the jack at a point remote from its pivotal axis in the jack shaft and arranged to control its movement around this-axis as the jack turns with the jack shaft; two brackets one above the other, each supporting one of the cam tracks, one of said brackets being supported by the other, and means for adjusting the said other bracket parallel to the axes of the cutter shaft and the jack shaft.

3. In a heel turning machine having, in combination, a rotary cutter, a jack shaft parallel to the cutter axis, a jack pivoted on the shaft on an axis perpendicular to the axis of the shaft and arranged to clamp a heel blank and to move its side and rear surfaces over the cutter when the jack shaft is turned, a cam track supporting the free end of the jack shaft and operating to move the jack shaft longitudinally as the shaft turns, and a second cam track supporting the jack at a point remote from its pivotal axis connection with the jack shaft and arranged to control its movement around this axis as the jack turns with the jack shaft; two brackets one above the other, each supporting one of the cam tracks, an adjusting screw located between the machine frame and the lower bracket whereby the lower cam track may be adjusted in a direction parallel to the axes of the cutter and jack shafts, and an adjusting screw located between the upper and lower brackets, whereby both brackets and their supported cam tracks may be adjusted either simultaneously or independently in the said direction.

4. In a heel turning machine having, in combination, a rotary cutter, a jack shaft parallel to the cutter axis, a jack pivoted on the shaft on an ax s perpendicular to the axis of the shaft and arranged to clamp a heel blank and to move its side and rear surfaces over the cutter when the jack shaft is turned, a cam track supporting the free end of the jack shaft and operating to move the jack shaft longitudinally as the shaft turns, and a second cam track supporting the jack at a point remote from its pivotal axis in the jack shaft and arranged to control its movement around this axis as the jack turns with the jack shaft; two brackets one above the other, each supporting one of the cam tracks, an adjusting screw located between the machine frame and the lower bracket whereby the lower cam track may be adjusted in a direction parallel to the axes of the cutter and jack shafts, and an adjusting screw located between the upper and lower brackets, said screws enabling both brackets and their supported cam tracks to be adjusted either simultaneously or independently in the said direction.

5. In a heel turning machine having, in combination, a cutter, a jack shaft arranged to swing about an external axis located to one side of the cutter, and a rub collar located between the cutter and the jack shaft; a form on the jack shaft cooperating with the rub collar to determine the distance that the jack shaft shall swing toward the cutter, said form being of open U-shape sumciently wide to permit its passage endwise over the jack shaft, and a separate clamping block shaped to contact with the jack shaft opposite the bight of the U, and to fit between the arms of the U and to clamp the form to the jack shaft.

6. In a heel turning machine, a cutter, a jack arranged to grip a heel blank by its top-lift and attaching faces, with its rear face generally toward the cutter, a breast gage on the jack having an adjustable member arranged to engage the front end of the attaching face of the blank and a member arranged to contact with the top-lift end of the breast surface of the blank, said gaging members being doweled together to prevent relative movement when loosened for adjustment.

'7. In a heel turning machine, a cutter, a jack arranged to grip a heel blank by its top-lift and attaching faces, with its rear face generally toward the cutter, a guide on the jack, and a member adjustable along the guide and arranged to carry interchangeably either of two gaging members arranged to gage the front ends of the attaching faces of Louis and Cuban heels, re spectively, and to carry interchangeably either of two members one of which carries an adjustable gage for the top-lift end of the breast faces of heels of either of the said styles, and the other of which is blank, the two of said four interchangeable members that are in use being doweled to the first-named member to prevent relative movement between them when the said first-named member is adjusted along the guide.

8. In a heel turning machine, a jack arranged to clamp a heel, a side gage arranged to be moved to a position adjacent to the side of a heel blank in the jack when the jack is open and to be removed from gaging position by the operation of closing the jack, and a member mounted on the side gage and arranged to lie below the edge of the heel blank when the heel blank is being gaged and to eject the heel blank when the side gage is again moved to gaging position, after the heel blank has been turned.

9. In a heel turning machine, a rotary cutter, a jack arranged to swing about an axis parallel to the cutter axis, a cam track arranged to guide the jack as it moves, and lugs mounted on the jack and on the cam track arranged to stop the swinging movement of the jack when the jack has turned a heel therein over the cutter from its breast to the center of its back.

HARLEY W. RUSS. 

